New York is the greatest restaurant city the world has ever seen, declares former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes. In this grand tour of New York's dining culture, illustrated with archival photos and ephemera, he charts the city's transformation from the days of chophouses and oyster bars, through the era of 50-cent French and Italian table d'hôtes beloved of American "Bohemians," to the emergence of Times Square as a place where food and entertainment formed a thriving partnership. In a delicious anecdotal history that spotlights everything from Schrafft's, the 21 Club, and the Russian Tea Room to the Bowery dining halls of a century ago (where a meal could be had for pennies), Grimes also reveals how the restaurant scene mirrored the larger forces shaping New York.

"[This] lively, profusely illustrated history veers in one fascinating direction after another, from the proliferation of oyster houses in the 1800s to the original recipe for chop suey. Grimes hits all the obvious high points—Delmonico's, the Automat, Le Pavillion, etc.—but also puts a spotlight on forgotten venues like Forum of the Twelve Caesars, an outsized theme restaurant from the same company that owned the Four Seasons.... All the material is so fascinating that you'll wish every chapter was at least twice as long, but it's hard to imagine a more entertaining introduction to the subject."—Publishers Weekly